


Trapped Between the Spaces

by Glitch_the_Witch



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Family Drama, Fellswap Papyrus (Undertale) - Freeform, Fellswap Sans (Undertale) - Freeform, Fellswap gold Sans, Healthy Coping Mechanisms, Healthy Relationships, Horrortale Papyrus (Undertale), Horrortale Sans (Undertale), Hurt/Comfort, MC will end up with one of the papyruses, Monsterphobia, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Neurodivergent MC, POV Multiple, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader-Insert, Sci-Fi Elements, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Self-Insert, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Swapfell Papyrus (Undertale), Swapfell Sans (Undertale), Swearing, The mafia versions will be included later, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, fellswap gold papyrus - Freeform, found family trope, mc is a smol and squishy girl, some romance but it's not the focus, there probably won't be any smut, there will be a plot, will probably add more tags as this goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27901459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitch_the_Witch/pseuds/Glitch_the_Witch
Summary: She just wanted a break. Well she got it, but at what cost? At least she's not the only one stranded in another dimension, even if all of her new roommates are skeletons.Inspired by AbsurdMage, please check her out if you haven't ---> https://absurdmageart.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC enters the skele-mansion. Sans panics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: near death experience

Under the crisp, autumn night sky, the trees rustle as I pull my truck onto the gravel. I find myself back at Cooper River, a great place to gather my thoughts during restless nights. There is something about gazing upon unspoiled nature that soothes my frazzled nerves before I try my bed again. Locking the doors, I head down the path that only my feet know. It doesn’t take long for me to reach the slick ledge overseeing the water. The pale moon’s reflection shines among the stars across the river, bringing me peace. No one else to hear the inane ramblings of a simple, lonely woman.

“You can’t keep doing this, MC,” I sigh softly, speaking to the atmosphere, “You knew this day was going to come sooner or later… You can’t take care of mom by yourself forever...” I sigh once more, “All I need… is a break from it all…” Once the chill started to settle in my skin, I turned away to face the path back, “I’ll look for solutions tomorrow… as always…”

Just as I took the first step forward, I lost footing, falling into the river. The shock from being submerged by the frigid water caused me to suck it in. Thankfully, I broke the surface to hack it out, taking a deep breath before suddenly being dragged back under. I tried to keep my panic under control, not wanting to waste any air as I blindly clawed for the surface once more. It was much further than before apparently. I didn’t dare to open my eyes partially in fear of what I’d see. To see how deep I fell into the darkness… Is… Is this how I die?!

No…

No.

NO!

I REFUSE!

MOM!!!

Suddenly, my weight returned as I found myself scrawled on a floor, coughing up water and gasping for air. I opened my eyes. The last thing I saw through my blurred vision was a short, pale figured dressed in blue in front of me. Then the darkness took me once more, my consciousness following…

\----------------------------------------

Working late on the machine in the basement has become the norm for me. Ever since it started spitting out alternate versions of me and Papyrus, most of my spare time has revolved around helping them getting back where they belong. Despite all the efforts between me, Red, Stretch, and sometimes Wolf, we’re still nowhere close to our goal. I don’t even flinch anymore when the machine whirrs to life, ready to go through the whole song and dance all over again. This time was different. Out of all the time since this shitshow started, this had never happened. A human… A freaking human is now laying on my tile, coughing up a storm, their sole companion being a couple of fish flopping about. Needless to say, I was stunned. I couldn’t react until I saw their eyes open only to pass out.

I rushed to their side, checking for a pulse. Seems alive for the most part. Watching the shivering, wet mess before me allowed me to finally process the situation now. There is now a stranded, unknown human in our house. Not a version of me, Papyrus, or some other monster. A _human_. Part of me wondered if I should just… put it out of its misery and be done with it… No, I put those days behind me, but I should at least perform a CHECK on them. Activating my magic, the little description box hovered over their body.

*MC 1LV 0 EXP 2 ATK 15 DEF

*Honest to a fault, but she tries to be kind.

I released a sigh of relief at the sight. At least we didn’t get stuck with a psycho killer… Still, it was a shock to see her only having 1 LOVE. Most humans usually gain at least one by the time they reach adulthood*. That still doesn’t mean she’s innocent, or friendly towards monsters. She’s still human, but maybe we can all get along with her. Maybe…

I dismissed the description box, and then I picked her up. Should probably help get her dry before she gets hypothermia. I shortcut with her in my arms to one of the four bathrooms in our house. I’ll just… set her down in the tub. Already overwhelmed by this point, I decide to just dump a bunch of towels on top of her before calling it quits. That should do it, right? Hopefully, nobody will need that restroom in particular until I figure things out.

Exiting the room, I stop to think. It’s gonna be awhile before she can get her own room, so somebody has to go back to sharing a room. Question is: who? I’d rather not deal with complaints. Blue? Eh, dude will probably bitch about not being able to bring his “buddies” over for the night. I do NOT wanna deal with a pent up, hypersexual skeleton. Especially since I’m probably gonna need his help on this one. Hmm, Coffee? No, I don’t want Wine on my ass, although he’d probably like the company, especially with how squishy she feels. Wine, though, hmm… As morally ambiguous and distrusting of humans as he is, he might be an okay choice. I can at least trust him to be a gentleman. Other than that, there’s…

“SANS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING AROUND?” Papyrus asked with his brow quirked up, “I THOUGHT YOU WERE WORKING IN THE BASEMENT… IS… Is Everything Alright, Sans?”

I looked at him quietly thinking, which probably didn’t help my brother’s concern… Fuck it. “eh, better than the human in our bathroom at least.”

“OH… WAIT, HUMAN?! WHEN DID A HUMAN COME OVER?”

“just now through the machine. wanna help‘er get settled? she’s uh… kinda out of it.”

Papyrus’ shocked expression stayed on his face for a few more seconds before returning to his boisterous self. “NYEHEHEH, LEAVE IT TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I LIKE TO THINK I’VE BECOME A PRO AT THIS!”

“heh. thanks, paps. I can always count on ya.” I felt a little bad about dumping her on him, but I knew this was the right choice. She’ll be in good hands, better than mine anyway. I start walking towards the living room to break the news to the 12 others living with us. “make sure to give her a _warm_ welcome, bro.”

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TALKING TO?! THERE IS NOTHING MORE WARMER THAN A PAPYRUS WELCOME! NYEHEHEHE,” was all he said before retreating into the bathroom.

I still wasn’t sure which would be more awkward. Dealing with an unconscious human from another dimension or telling a bunch of paranoid skeletons they have to live with said human. Either way, this wasn’t going to be pleasant for anyone. Hoo boy… I am NOT looking forward to the upcoming days ahead…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * LV works a bit differently here than in the game. It's just a measurement for how willing someone is to kill or harm another, be it in defense or some other reason. A person can have a high LV without any exp, but it doesn't work vice versa.
> 
> By the way I do have a tumblr in case anyone wants to send questions or whatnot. I mostly reblog whatever I like but I will post updates and the occasional headcanon. glitchthewitch.tumblr.com


	2. Introductions and Breakdowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC is awake and meets some of her new roommates.
> 
> Warning: mental breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a list for who is who since I will be using names not normally used in fics just so nobody gets too lost. There is 14 of them after all.  
> Sans and Papyrus- classic universe  
> Blue - underswap sans  
> Stretch - underswap papy  
> Red - underfell sans  
> Edge - underfell papy  
> Vi - swapfell (KH) sans  
> Money - swapfell (KH) papy  
> Black - fellswap sans  
> Wolf - fellswap papy  
> Wine - fellswap gold sans  
> Coffee - fellswap gold papy  
> Sparrow - horrortale papy  
> Bear - horrortale sans
> 
> Vi and Money belong to AbsurdMage

Darkness... An inky abyss with no end was all I could see. I was floating with no sense of direction, yet I felt no fear. A pale face appeared in the distance, but I couldn't see their body. Only hands with holes in them. It seemed to be signing something, but I could not make sense of it in my dream state. I tried talking to it, but then it disappeared before I could make a single sound.

I blinked. The ceiling before me slowly came into focus. When...? I was now laying in a king sized bed with several thick blankets weighing me down. Am I still dreaming? I couldn't tell... At least until a tall skeleton burst through the door. 

"HUMAN? ARE YOU STILL...?" they looked to me before grinning widely, "OH GOOD, YOU'RE AWAKE! JUST IN TIME FOR BREAKFAST, TOO!"

I blinked in confusion a couple of times at them. "No I'm not," I stated bluntly, ignoring how their smile fell.

This was obviously a fake out. If it had been my brother or at least a human, I probably wouldn't question it. But skeletons don't exist. At least not like that... Regardless, I was still lucid in this dream, so it wouldn't hurt to see where this journey takes me before I inevitably wake up.

"Still want breakfast, though, sooo," I slid out of the large bed and onto the zig-zag carpet, "lead the way?"

That seemed to be enough to brighten their mood, giving a loud "NYEHEHEH" before opening the door for me.

"RIGHT THIS WAY HUMAN!"

I followed after the tall animated skeleton, not really paying attention to his ramblings. It's not like I was going to need to remember it anyway. Instead, I checked out the interior of this dream house. If I had only one word to describe this place it would be 'massive'. Seriously, the hallways seemed to stretch for miles and there was still a downstairs. It was incredibly immaculate but still simple except for the grand staircase we were descending. A touch of elegance, I suppose you could say, but it just seemed... Out of place. Another point to this being a dream, obviously.

While following Papyrus, I noticed the soft glow of a red light through one of the cracked doors. It ended up closing before I could get a good look. Thankfully, Papyrus's loud voice stopped me from giving in to the temptation to stray from his side to investigate.

"GOOD MORNING, SPARROW! DID YOU SLEEP WELL?" he greeted cheerfully.

I looked to who he was talking to only to end up having to crane my neck to an uncomfortable angle just to see their face. This skeleton was easily 3 feet taller than me. Thankfully, the braces and the glasses taped to his skull made it a little hard to be entirely intimidated by him.

"Well Enough, I Suppose," Sparrow replied with a smile, "You Know How It Is With Stiff Bones, heh heh..." His gaze finally shifted to me still wearing a kind expression, "You Must Be The Human That Appeared Last Night. It Is Nice To Meet You."

"Likewise, I'm MC," the trained response flowed easily. Dream or not, I don't want to be rude. As we continued through the mansion, I did catch snippets of their conversation before arriving in the dining room.

"She seems to be handling this well... Did you explain things to her already?" Sparrow's voice was so soft, I almost didn't catch it.

"Actually... I Don't Think They Believe This Is Real... I'm Not Entirely Sure What To Do About It..."

To be honest, listening to them was almost enough to make me start questioning whether I was dreaming. _Look for the inconsistencies,_ I reminded myself. Maybe there's a clock somewhere...

Entering the expansive dining room, we were greeted by seven more skeletons. One of them looked about my height, wearing a black shirt with a white geometric design and a well loved purple bandana. They seemed busy making omelets in the modern chef's kitchen while the others sat around chatting. I could see two omelets were already plated and sitting on the granite countertop, smelling delicious. Wait... M-maybe mom was cooking omelets and that's where it's really coming from. 

"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE! I HAVE BROUGHT THE HUMAN, NYEHEHEH!" Papyrus's boisterous voice rang out loud throughout the open concept, effectively shutting down all conversations. I could feel all their eyes on me as panic slowly clawed at my chest. 

A tall skeleton with sharp cheekbones and two cracks running from the top of the skull to their mouth and jaw, dressed in black and red, suddenly stood up. Their red irises coldly glared directly at me before moving forward. _This is it, this is how I die_ , at least that's what I thought, but they simply passed by with a gruff "HMPH" and nothing more. Strange, if this were a dream they would have been more violent or at least yell insults.

"SPARROW, THESE TWO BELONG TO YOU AND YOUR BROTHER," the one standing in the kitchen announced dryly, ripping me from my thoughts.

"Ah, Thank You, Vi..." he grabbed the two plates, giving me a sympathetic look before leaving with words of assurance, "Don't Worry Too Much, MC. None Of Us Will Hurt You."

I simply nodded in response, my belief that this is all a dream crumbling. My hands unconsciously reached for my hair, the god awful texture destroying the last of that belief. At that moment, my brain played back the events from last night: falling in the river, nearly drowning, and the pale figure in blue. _Calm down_ , I told myself as I fought the nausea climbing my throat, _Let's think about this logically._

Papyrus ushered me to sit down next to the skeleton with canine braces while he took the seat to my right. The one adjacent from me sneered, their disgust readily apparent, but the one in front of me appeared neutral to my presence. The two looked almost identical except the one in front of me is taller, the scarred eyesocket is empty, and wears a scarf instead of a bandana. I didn't really care what they thought, I still needed to sort through my thoughts. I wasn't awarded much time, however, as the one in front of me spoke, their voice prim and proper kind of like Sparrow's but with none of the warmth.

"WELL, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD INTRODUCE OURSELVES. I AM WINE, THE ONE NEXT TO ME IS BLACK, THE ONE NEXT TO YOU IS COFFEE," the skeleton in question gave a quiet and shaky 'hello' during Wine's small pause, "THE ONE COOKING OUR LOVELY BREAKFAST IS VI, THE ONE WITH THE EYEPATCH OVER THERE IS MONEY-"

"suck an egg, wine," the skeleton interrupted before continuing his conversation with the one in front of him.

Wine pouted but continued all the same, "AND THE ONE ACROSS FROM HIM IS STRETCH. OH, AND THE ONE WHO LEFT WAS EDGE. IT MIGHT TAKE YOU AWHILE TO REMEMBER, BUT I TRUST YOU WILL IN DUE TIME."

"kay," I mentally berated myself for the boring response, **_Way to go, MC. You sure have a way with words_**. I glanced to the clock on the support beam as Papyrus handed me a steaming plate before devouring his food. 8AM... Am I forgetting something? 

... oh.

OH. 

"I HAVE TO GET HOME!!!" I lost control of the volume of my voice as the realization dawned on me, "My mom is gonna freak out! Or what if she gets hurts, and I'm not there! Or! OR..."

"CALM YOURSELF, HUMAN! YOU'RE RUINING THE FOOD WITH YOUR FEAR STINK!" Black snapped as Vi settled next to him with a raised brow directed at me.

I glanced at him, not really processing what he said, but I knew he was right. I can't let myself have a meltdown here... I untangle my hands from my hair and take a couple of deep breaths, so I could formulate my sentences properly. A few moments of silence pass before I've decided on the words I wish to recite.

"I'm- I'm sorry for that. It's dangerous to leave my mother alone for extended periods of time, and I do not wish to worry her either. Do... do you have some means of contacting her? I need to know if she's ok and let her know I am, too..."

Silence. All of them looked away awkwardly, and my heart started to drop.

"N-no, of course you don't. That was a stupid question," I mumbled softly before speaking up again," What- what about the river? One of you had to have saved me from it, right? Are we- are we very far from it? Ma-maybe you could take me back to where I was found... And I could find my way back!"

More silence, their frowns deepening.

"B-blindfold!" my voice shook with desperation, "If- if- if you're worried, I could... wear a blindfold and then I, I won't be able to direct others here! That's... That's what you're scared of, right?!?"

Vi slammed his utensils down, standing up. "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! YOU'RE IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE! THERE! I SAID IT!"

...

What?

Vi looked at my confusion and sighed," I SUPPOSE I'LL EXPLAIN SINCE SANS COULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED TO SHOW UP. FOLLOW ME, HUMAN." He directed me to follow him out of the dining space.

I obliged despite my anxiety through the roof as he led me to a basement. I recognized the tile immediately. This... this was the room I was in when I saw the figure, but... How???

"THIS," Vi stood next to a bulky machine, answering my question, "IS HOW WE GOT HERE. EXCEPT FOR PAPYRUS AND SANS, WE WERE ALL DRAGGED THROUGH THIS INTO THIS UNIVERSE, JUST LIKE YOU. AND JUST LIKE YOU, WE ARE STRANDED. THAT'S WHY WE CAN'T HELP YOU GET BACK RIGHT NOW." 

"So I... I can't... I can't go back home?"

"I'M AFRAID SO..."

I barely notice myself collapsing to my knees, hands burying themselves in my scalp. Where did all the oxygen go?

Someone...

I noticed movement. No, if they... I'll...!

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed, tears burning my eyes, desperate to come back to my senses. I watched Vi recoil, and I regret yelling like that. "P-please..." I wheezed out, trying to stop my panic from taking control again, "please, get me some ice, please..."

He looked to me quizzically, but didn't question me thankfully. I wouldn't have the mental capacity to answer anyway. I tug my hair as I wait for him to come back, feebly attempting my breathing exercises.

"geez, vi, what'd ya do to her?" I looked up to the low voice to see a chubby-cheeked skeleton in a blue hoodie following Vi.

"YOUR JOB, SANS, YOU LAZY TRASH GREMLIN!" he snapped before walking towards me with a glass of ice," HERE..."

I snatched it out of his hands, shoving a few cubes into my mouth, holding it there. I knew the action was rude, but all I cared about was preventing a total meltdown. I should explain properly once I've calmed down... I swallowed the melted ice as I felt my body start to relax.

"I'm sorry..."

"... FOR?" Vi looked to me questioning. I don't think he was expecting it.

"For snapping. I thought you were gonna try to comfort me with touch and... that has always resulted in a meltdown... I've found that this makes my body calm down the fastest. Thank you for bringing it, by the way..."

He blinked rapidly a few times at my words, "HMPH, IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO APOLOGIZE OR GIVE THANKS FOR... BUT YOU ARE WELCOME."

"alright, thanks vi. i'll take it from here..." Sans dismisses the other before looking back to me with kind sympathy, "i'm sure you need a moment from... that. but i am gonna need to ask you some questions when you're ready."

"... what kind...?"

"oh, just personal and medical info, so i can help you get settled. papyrus says your name is mc, but i'm gonna need your real name, ok?"

"... It's Mary Cadden*... I think I can answer your other questions..." I told him despite being exhausted by my emotions from earlier.

He peered into my face with concern, but went back to his smiley facade, "alright if you're sure... let's begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This is just the canonical name, they will still be referred to as MC. You are more than free to ignore it/replace it with something else.


End file.
